Texas Oil & Gas Jobs
Dislocated oil and gas industry workers may soon find help with a new federal government grant initiative.
Related: Former Oilfield Workers Look to New Careers
After months of low crude prices and tens of thousands of layoffs, many oilfield workers are scrambling to find other work. The U.S. Department of Labor announced this week that they have approved a grant to provide re-employment services to dislocated workers in the state’s oil and gas industry.
The initial funds to be awarded to the Texas Workforce Commission will be $13,293,207, with a total approved amount of $16,309,807. The funds will serve approximately 4,191 workers.
“Since 2014, the Texas oil and gas industry has been in decline as oil prices continue to fall which, in turn, has led to layoffs for workers employed by oil and gas extraction companies and related industries. One area of focus for this project will be small rural communities whose economies rely heavily on income of oil and gas industry workers.”
Dislocated worker grants are a part of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which was signed into law on July 22, 2014 by President Barack Obama. The WIOA is designed to help job seekers access employment, education, training, and support services to succeed in the labor market and to match employers with the skilled workers they need to compete in the global economy.